24 November 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Jemimah

Asst 1 : Felicia

Asst 2 : Jevelyn

 

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

 

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

Review of Solomon's Poetry Books

1. Lesson 

•  We’ve been looking at some of the books of the Bible that Solomon wrote:
• Song of Solomon 
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes

• Let’s see what you can remember from it:
  <use pix to associate each book>
   
• Song of Solomon 

• Who were the 2 main characters?
  The Shulamite girl and the shepherd/King Solomon

• How did the Shulamite see herself?
  Dark skinned, unwanted by her own family

• How did Solomon see the Shulamite girl?
  Fair, beautiful, flawless in every way >> God sees us the same way

• How did the Shulamite girl see Solomon?
  Attractive and full of love >> Picture of Jesus

• Key lesson: In Song of Solomon, we are reminded that God sees us as beautiful; We see Jesus as beautiful!

• Proverbs

• What’s a proverb?
  Wise sayings about life

• Who wrote Proverbs?
  Solomon: the wisest man in the world

• What is the main theme from the book of Proverbs?
  Wisdom: to learn to become wise, make right choices, live life of peace/prosperity, avoid bad mistakes etc 

• Who is our Wisdom?
  Jesus is our Wisdom

• Who teaches us to live wisely?
  The Holy Spirit

• Key lesson: In Proverbs, we are reminded to Choose Wisdom, Choose Jesus! 

• Revise Proverbs 3:5-6 ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

• Ecclesiastes

• What does Ecclesiastes mean?
  Teacher/Preacher

• What’s the main word found in Ecclesiastes?
  “Meaningless” — at the end of his life, Solomon found the pursuit of pleasure, wisdom, work and wealth all meaningless 

• Solomon’s life didn’t end well because he started to worship other gods, introduced by his many wives. How many wives/concubines did he have? 1,000!! (700 wives — wives of royal birth — and 300 concubines) 

• Solomon said there was “nothing new under the sun”. Who then should we look to for meaning in life?
  The SON: Jesus — who came to make all things, including us, NEW!

• Revise John 6:29: Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
• Key lesson: In Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that for true meaning in life, Don’t look under the sun. Look to the SON!

• REVIEW:
  Flash the 3 photos one by one (in random order). Each time, kids should say out the key lesson of that book. Repeat until most kids get it.
• Song of Solomon: God sees us as beautiful; we see Jesus as beautiful!
• Proverbs: Choose Wisdom, Choose Jesus!
• Ecclesiastes:  Don’t look under the sun. Look to the SON!

17 November 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Junita

Asst 1 : Adeline

Asst 2 : Yuni

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

Overview of Ecclesiastes: Look to the Son!

1. Hook: Blow wind blow game

• We played the game “Blow, wind, blow” just now. Have you ever tried chasing after the wind? You can run all you want, jump all you want, tire yourself out completely, but you won’t be able to catch the wind. The wind blows here and there. You cannot get hold of it. 
• Sometimes we all live our lives trying as if we’re chasing the wind. We chase after pleasure. We chase after knowledge. We chase after wealth and riches. But in the end we are empty. 
• There’s one person who fills us up completely. We don’t have to run around to chase after Him. Because He was the one who came to look for us and to save us. Who is that person? Jesus!

2. Lesson: Overview of Ecclesiastes: Look to the Son!

• We’ve been looking at some of the books of the Bible that Solomon wrote: 
• Song of Solomon: God sees us as beautiful; We see Jesus as beautiful!
• Proverbs: Jesus is our Wisdom

• Today we take a look at Solomon’s 3^rd book — Ecclesiastes
• <help kids to pronounce … E-clee-sias-tis> 
• Ecclesiastes means “teacher” or “preacher” 
• Solomon (son of David, king in Jerusalem) probably wrote this book near the end of his life, when he was an old man.

• Ecclesiastes: reflection of Solomon’s life 
• The theme of the book can be summed up in one word: “Meaningless”
• Solomon writes, 
• “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (1:2)
• All things are wearisome, more than one can say. (1:8) 
• There is nothing new under the sun. (1:9)

• He described life as trying to chase after the wind!
• Why would Solomon write something like this?
• Solomon had everything in this world that anyone could hope for. He had wisdom from God. He had pleasure, riches, achievements (the big beautiful temple) and lots of possessions.
• Although he was so wise and rich, he made some wrong decisions in life, and things didn’t go too well for him by the end of his life.
• Solomon was a very successful king, but he married many, many foreign wives — he had 1,000!! (700 wives — wives of royal birth — and 300 concubines)
• These wives did not know the true God. They led King Solomon to worship false gods/idols. Instead of trusting on God with all his heart, Solomon turned away from the true God.
• 1 Kings 11:4-6 “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father."
• God told Solomon that because he turned away from Him, Solomon’s glorious and famous kingdom would be divided up after his death.  
• Such a sad end for a king who had everything “under the sun”.  

• Meaningless! Meaningless!
• As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, the things of this world alone do not bring real lasting satisfaction. They are all “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
• Pleasure was meaningless: 
• “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” (2:10)
• Wisdom was meaningless: 
• “Like the fool, the wise too must die!” (2:16)
• Work was meaningless: 
• “All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.” (2:23)
• Wealth was meaningless: 
• “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” (5:10)

• All these things that Solomon mentioned are good things. But by themselves, they do not bring satisfaction or fulfilment.
• To Solomon, the man with everything, life “under the sun” had no meaning or hope.

• Look to the SON: Jesus our Meaning in Life 
• Solomon concluded Ecclesiastes with "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (12:13)
• Under the Old Covenant, that was man’s duty. To fulfil God’s law.
• But man failed over and over again.
• Solomon, with all His wisdom and power, failed miserably.
• Only the One greater than Solomon could fulfil the entire Law and keep ALL God’s commandments. That man is Jesus!

• Don’t look “under the sun”. Look to the SON!
• Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun.
• But Jesus, the SON of God, is not of this world! He’s not from “under the sun”. But He came down from heaven to give us hope and to give us life. 
• Jesus came to give us the New Covenant through His death on the cross and resurrection. 
• When we believe in Him, we are made new in Him. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
• In Christ, we have true meaning in life!

• Conclusion 
• So what then is the whole duty of man today? Believe in Jesus! 
• Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)
• And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23)

• Jesus is our meaning in life. When we believe in His finished work on the cross, His life lives in us and through us and we experience His abundant life! (John 10:10)
  

3. Activity Suggestions:

• Memory Verse: John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 
• Sharing & prayer

10 November 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Carrie

Asst 1 : Kasey

Asst 2 : Laila

 

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

 

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

Overview of Proverbs: Jesus our Wisdom

1. Lesson: Overview of Proverbs: Jesus our Wisdom

• Besides building the Temple of God, King Solomon wrote several poetry books in the Bible.
• Last week, we learnt about one of them — Song of Solomon.
• What did we learn? God sees us as beautiful; We see Jesus as beautiful!

• Today, we will look at another book — Proverbs. 

• What’s a proverb?
• Proverbs are wise sayings about life to help people live right and make wise choices.
• The world is full of wise sayings/proverbs that we can learn from.
• E.g.
• Practise makes perfect: If we practise something over and over again, we will be very good at it. 
• Honesty is the best policy: We should always tell the truth 
• Slow and steady wins the race: We don’t have to be the fastest all the time, but if we hang in there, we will surely succeed; like the tortoise who was racing with the rabbit and didn’t give up. 

•  Wise Sayings of a Wise Man 
  • If you remember, King Solomon was the wisest man in the world. When God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon did not ask for riches or fame or long life. Instead he asked for wisdom.
  • Being a wise man, Solomon wrote many wise sayings/proverbs, about 3,000, which make up most of the book of Proverbs.
   

• Purpose of Proverbs (1:1-7)
• 1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
  ² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
  for understanding words of insight;
  ³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
  ⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young —
  ⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance —
  ⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
      the sayings and riddles of the wise.
  ⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

• The main theme of the book of Proverbs was on the importance of WISDOM.
• Solomon wrote the proverbs to share wisdom and insight, so that people could
• learn and grow into wise people like him
• make right choices and live a life of peace and prosperity 
• avoid destructive mistakes 
• live peacefully with others in this world

• Solomon also acknowledged that the source of wisdom is God — The fear (worship) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

• Picture of Wisdom (3:13-18) 
• There are many, many pictures of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. For example:
• Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
  ¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.
  ¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.
  ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
  ¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.
  ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed.

• Wisdom is described as: 
• Better/more precious than silver, gold and rubies 
• Solomon chose wisdom from God over silver, gold and rubies because he believed it was more important than all these

• Source of long life, riches and honour

• If we have God’s wisdom, we can make wise decisions that result in blessings of long life, riches and honour, just like Solomon

• Pleasant and Peaceful 
• God’s ways bring peace to us and all around us. Sometimes when we try to do things our own way or in our own wisdom, it causes strife and disunity among others. But we can ask God for wisdom to do things peacefully in every way. 

• A Tree of Life and blessing 
• Wisdom from God is the source of life and blessings to us, and we should hold on tight to it

• Jesus our Wisdom 
• Since wisdom is so good, how do we get this wisdom that Solomon talks about?
• Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He wrote many wise things. Yet, at the end of his life, he didn’t follow the wisdom God gave him. He had many foreign wives who led him to worship other gods. As a result, his kingdom was divided after his death.
• Who then is the true wise man?
• A thousand years after Solomon, the Bible tells us that one greater than Solomon is here! (Luke 11:31)

• His name is Jesus!
• Jesus IS Wisdom from God 
• In Christ, you find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3).
• 1 Cor 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

• Jesus is the perfectly wise man who lived a perfect life to the very end.
• Even as a young boy at 12 years old, Jesus was discussing with the teachers of the law in the temple. “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:41-50)
• "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52)  
• When Pharisees and Sadducees tried to trick Him, Jesus always found a way to turn the tables on them.
• In all He taught and all He did, Jesus led a life of wisdom.
• Jesus was never lazy, never one-sided, never gossiped or lied. He lived out every proverb perfectly. His obedience and perfect life was deserving of every blessing of God. He should life a long life full of riches and honor, peace and blessings.
• YET, he was punished instead. Not for His sins and mistakes. But for ours. So that we need not be punished by death for our sins (Prov 16:5).
• And when Jesus rose from the dead, He gave all of us His righteousness so that we have all the life and blessings He deserved.

• Choose Jesus, choose wisdom, choose life 
• In Proverbs, Solomon keeps urging us to choose wisdom.
• So if Jesus = Wisdom = Life
• When we choose Jesus, we are choosing His wisdom and His eternal life. Jesus is our Tree of Life!

• Live wisely
• How do we live wisely? While there are many good lessons we can learn from the book of Proverbs, we don’t have to follow the instructions like a recipe book. Just like we don’t have to follow the 10 Commandments to live a godly life.
• Before He returned to heaven, Jesus promised his disciples (and us) to send us His Holy Spirit. Today, we have the Holy Spirit in us. He is our guide and our counsellor. And He will teach us what to do in the different situations and circumstances we may face.
• He will teach us what to say. "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." (Luke 21:15).
• He will tell us what to do. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

• Conclusion: 
• Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, Wisdom is a gift for every one of us.
• As we abide/live in Christ and Christ in us, we grow in wisdom through our relationship and dependence on Him. His Holy Spirit transforms us more and more into the image of the one true wise man, Jesus.  
• The more we trust and depend on Christ, the more we will display his wisdom in each and every situation.  
• So … choose Jesus, choose wisdom, choose life! 

• Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:5-6
  ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
      and lean not on your own understanding;
  ⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
      and he will make your paths straight.

2. Suggested activities:

• Worksheet

 

3 November 2013

Kelas Balita

Coach Susan

Asst 1 : Tasya

Asst 2 : Awan

 

Kelas 1 - 3

Coaches :

 

Kelas 4 - 6

Coaches :

 

Overview of Song of Solomon: You are beautiful

1. Lesson (based on Song of Solomon)

• HOOK: 

• Ever heard couples who are very much in love talk about each other? What do you think they talk about? 
• “He is the most wonderful guy I ever met!” “She is the most beautiful girl in the world!”
• Show examples of people in love, e.g.:

o   Video: Shrek and Fionain love

o   Nick Vujicic on his wife Kanae Miyahara: “She has the most beautiful, wise, and warm eyes I’d ever seen. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She is enchanting, confident and kindhearted”.

• God loves us so much that he uses so many examples of close human relationships to show us His love for us and tell us what He thinks of us. 
• Father and Son: Remember the son who left the father after getting his share of the father’s money? He ran away, spent all the money , finally came back home to his father who still loved him despite what he had done and welcomed him back as his son. 
• A friend: Jesus calls us his friends (John 15:13-14) – Jesus is our true friend who loved us so much that he laid down his life for us. 
• A husband and a wife: This is one of the closest relationships which we have on this earth. A husband and a wife have covenantal relationship, just like what God has with us. God wants us to know that our relationship with him is also like a husband and a wife because it is a very close relationship. God also uses the picture a bridegroom and his bride — just like Christ is the bridegroom, and we, the church, are His bride.

• King Solomon wrote a book called the Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs. This book is unlike any other book in the bible. It’s a special love story of a man and his bride.
• Here King Solomon appears as a young shepherd, falls in love with a Shulamite girl. He promises to marry her on his return. When he returns, much to her surprise, he appears as a king and takes her back to Jerusalem to be his bride.
• Throughout the book, Solomon talks about the girl, how beautiful she is; and she talks about Solomon, how beautiful he is.

• He calls her beautiful. 
• The Shulamite girl was a beautiful lady. However she was also abused and bullied by her brothers who forced us to work in the vineyards. She worked in the fields every day under the sun. After being under the hot sun every day, her skin became dark and tanned. As a result, she was self-conscious of her appearance. 
• Don’t stare at me because I am dark —
  the sun has darkened my skin.
  My brothers were angry with me;
  they forced me to care for their vineyards,
  So I couldn’t care for myself — my own vineyard.Song of Solomon 1:6

• However, her beloved lover (Solomon) thought otherwise. “You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. (Song of Solomon 4:7)  
• Solomon calls her beautiful and lovely over and over again — the “fairest among women”, “all beautiful” and flawless.” “There is no flaw in you”. (Songs 1:8, 15, 4:7,9) 
• Despite her insecurity and imperfections, Solomon deems her worthy of his love. He praises and recognizes her beauty and character. He compares her to a lily among thorns. To him, she is beautiful beyond words. The Shulamite woman captivated his heart. He invites her to rise up and go away with Him. 

•  Solomon paints for us a picture of how God sees us, His precious love.   
• God loves us, saves us and blesses us whatever our imperfections may be. Whether our nose is too long, our hair too frizzy or our head is too big. Or whether you think you are not smart enough or good enough. Or maybe you have a bad temper, or are clumsy or lazy. Or maybe you’ve been abused or bullied by others who make you feel small and worthless. 
• The truth is: God has loved you from before you were in your mother’s womb. He loved you as He formed you and knit you together. He loved you when you were born. He knows your coming and going and is intimately acquainted with all your ways. He knows every word you are about to say and every thought in your mind. He sees and knows the pain, the hurt and the tears you cry. He knows all the naughty things you’ve done or are going to do. He knows that you are not perfect and yet He still loves you. He has loved you and will forever love all of you despite your insecurities and imperfections.
• In fact, when we were at our ugliest, Christ came to die for us and give His life and love to us. He rose from the dead, and His life and beauty shines in us and through us.
• God looks at us today and tells us: You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way, and there is no spot in you.
• Our value lies in being wholly and dearly loved by God. We cannot earn God’s approval — we already have it. No amount of striving, accomplishments, or external beauty can make you more valuable or loved in the eyes of your Lord.
• To God, you are beautiful beyond words. You have captivated His heart. And He invites you to rise up and go away with Him.

• She calls him beautiful 
• The Shulamite woman also gives an elaborate description of her lover and how lovely he is. 
• What can Song of Solomon tell us about Jesus?  
• Jesus is our Bridegroom and our Shepherd King 
• Jesus is attractive and altogether lovely
  (example SOS 5:10-16; there are many others too)

• My beloved is radiant:  Jesus is completely pure and holy and glorious  
• He is outstanding among ten thousand 
• His head is purest gold: Gold symbolises Jesus’ eternal kingship.   
• His hair is wavy and black as a raven: symbolizes youth and health — blessings from God.  
• His eyes are like doves: He has compassion for us, is wise and discerning, pure and clean.  
• His lips are like lilies, dripping with myrrh: The words He speaks are pure and pleasing and bring healing to our wounds.

• Jesus ‘s banner over us is love (SOS 2:4)
• The Shepherd covers the Shulamite woman with love. 
• Picture a great banqueting house filled with distinguished guests, and above his bride’s place is a banner for all to see. And upon the banner is written the word “love”.
• Similarly, Jesus loves His Church, His bride, so much that He gave Himself for her and shed His precious blood for her. 
• One day, He will bring us into His banqueting house, and He will sit us down in the best seat that He has prepared for us. And above our seat will be His banner of love.

• Jesus calls us away with Him (SOS 2:10-13)
• Just like the Shulamite woman’s lover calls her away with him, our bridegroom Jesus calls us with Him too. 
• He loves us so much that He wants to spend time with us. Whether it’s to chat (pray) or to sing songs (worship) or to read His love letters to us (word) just to enjoy what He has prepared for us.  
• And He’s coming back one day to bring us to stay with Him forever.

• After the Shulamite woman starts telling others about Solomon, how wonderful he is, her friends want to look for him too. (Songs 6:1) When we tell people about how wonderful Jesus is, they would want to know Him too.

• Today, we’ve learnt that: 
• Jesus sees us as lovely: 
•  Sometimes we may think we are not good in many areas of our life and feel sad about it. We should see ourselves as Jesus sees us — lovely and righteous — not as how we see ourselves nor how the world sees us. 
• See Jesus as lovely:  
• Jesus is altogether lovely, wonderful, beautiful and radiant. He covers us with His unconditional banner of love. As we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Bible tells us that “those who look to him are radiant” too (Psalm 34:5) — transformed by His glory. When we see him as lovely, we can’t help but tell others how wonderful He is. When we do that, others will want to know Jesus too.

2. Suggested Activities

• (younger classes) Song: His banner over me is love 
• Time of sharing of praise reports and prayer needs.